It was a bit of a mission to get onto the Otago Central Rail Trail but so glad we made the detour. It is, after all, one of the "101 Must-do's for Kiwis". It's literally in the middle of nowhere. A part of the country famous (or is that notorious?) for being the hottest, coldest and driest region in NZ. It involved driving inland for miles through lots of moon-like, sheep-scattered landscapes. Very different to the coast where we spent most of our time.

The full length of the trail is 150km. Most people choose to cycle the route over 4 days and sleep over in the towns that basically make a living off their location - bike hire, eateries, accommodation, the works. Our butts couldn't handle so much saddle time! So we opted to walk "the best" 7km with tunnels, bridges, gorges, a lake and relics from the gold mining era. Two cyclists past us in the first ten minutes but from then it was just us and the sheepish sheep.

We found it "fairly pleasant" (Mario's words ;) and would strongly recommend it. The great thing about this rail trail is that it takes you deep into the heart of the country with dramatic scenery that you just can't get on the road. And you know there can't be too much upheaval.